Ahmed Mansour unfairly sentenced to 10 years in jail for his human rights activism on social media

Geneva, 4 May 2018

The State Security Chamber of the Federal Appeal Court in Abu Dhabi sentenced human rights activist Ahmed Mansoor to 10 years in prison on 29th May, 2018, and issued a fine of one million dirhams in addition to the confiscation of all of his communicative devices. The Court also ordered him to be under administrative surveillance for three years after his release. According to local media, Ahmed Mansoor was jailed on charges of “provoking sedition, sectarianism and hatred on social media, which would harm the national unity and social peace as well as the State’s reputation and status in addition to inciting others to transgress the rule”, in accordance with the requirements of the Federal Law No. 5 of 2012 on combating cybercrimes.

The International Centre for Justice and Human Rights (ICJHR) reminds that human rights activist Ahmed Mansoor was arrested on 20 March 2017 for his posts on social media in which he defended other human rights activists. The UN Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders and the UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Expression and Opinion, together with the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances have confirmed, on 28 March 2017, the arbitrary nature of the detention, called for his release and considered his arrest as “a direct attack on the legitimate work of human rights defenders in the UAE.”.

Besides, The ICJHR consider that human rights activist Ahmed Mansoor was subject to unfair trial. The authorities of the United Arab Emirates have violated the right of human rights activist Ahmed Mansour to freedom of opinion, expression and Internet that are guaranteed by international conventions as well as his right not to be subjected to enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention and fair trial. He was not allowed to choose his lawyer that was forcibly appointed by the court and was not allowed to visit him in private in order to prepare his defense, in violation of fair trial guarantees set by international standards.

The International Centre for Justice and Human Rights strongly condemns the conviction of Ahmed Mansoor and unreservedly supports the struggle of this human rights defender for freedom of expression.

We call on international organizations, UN bodies and UN Special Rapporteurs to be united in solidarity with human rights defender Ahmed Mansoor in order to release him and defend his personal safety and dignity as well as his right as a human rights defender.

The International Center for Justice and Human Rights in Geneva therefore urges the authorities of the United Arab Emirates to:

1- Immediately and unconditionally release the human rights defender Ahmed Mansoor, sentenced for his human rights activities2- Disclose his place of detention and pen an immediate and impartial investigation into his rights violations including the search of his house without judicial authorization, and his exposure to ill-treatment, enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention and hold accountable all person responsible for these violations before an independent and fair judiciary and give him his full right of reparation and rehabilitation for the physical and moral harm he has been subject to.3- Stop intimidating, harassing and threatening human rights defenders when carrying out their human rights activities.